Demand and production continues to grow for this Merlot spearheaded by French winemaking icon Michel Rolland under the Long Shadows Vintners banner. He collaborates at more than 100 wineries around the globe, including this Walla Walla project with countryman Gilles Nicault. This 2013 vintage is the 11th that Rolland has created for Allen Shoup, and it may well be his best. … [Read more...] about Pedestal 2013 Merlot, Columbia Valley, $60
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Drumheller Wines 2014 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $12
Best Buy! Tim Jones heads up this young Ste. Michelle Wine Estates program, and this example of Chardonnay shows opulence and richness from start to finish. Most of this fruit comes from Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills, and the fermentation process features 10 months of barrel aging. That helped produce aromas of toasty oak and butter with grilled peach, vanilla bean and … [Read more...] about Drumheller Wines 2014 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $12
L’Ecole No. 41 2015 Old Vines Chenin Blanc, Columbia Valley, $15
Best Buy! A generation ago, Chenin Blanc was a variety that produced cherished wines along the West Coast. Fortunately, Marty Clubb has remained an ardent champion of this grape native to the Loire Valley, and he continues to secure contracts with four venerable vineyards in the Yakima Valley. Phil Church, Rothrock, Upland and Willard Farms each contribute to this bottling … [Read more...] about L’Ecole No. 41 2015 Old Vines Chenin Blanc, Columbia Valley, $15
House Wine 2013 Chardonnay, American, $10
Best Buy! Charles Smith created this consumer-minded brand prior to selling his Magnificent Wine Co. to Precept Wine in 2007. Now, it's winemaker Hal Landvoigt who keeps the focus on the fruit with this Chardonnay, boosting the aromatics and acidity with Sauvignon Blanc (5%) and Riesling (5%). The nose offers gooseberry, lime peel and light straw with tropical hints of cocoa … [Read more...] about House Wine 2013 Chardonnay, American, $10
Argyle Winery 2012 Artisan Series Brut Rosé, Willamette Valley, $50
Nate Klostermann in Dundee blends fruit from Knudsen Vineyard, at one point the largest planting in the Oregon wine industry, with 130-acre Spirit Hill in the Eola-Amity Hills - the biggest estate site for Argyle - for this splendid pink sparkling wine that gives no hint of its age. It’s a classic blend of Pinot Noir (75%), Pinot Meunier (15%) and Chardonnay, picked in late … [Read more...] about Argyle Winery 2012 Artisan Series Brut Rosé, Willamette Valley, $50